On the Mainland, people associate the term "sweetbread" with thymus glands, which, when pan-fried or deep-fried, induce hypnotically glazed eyes, and a lazy grin, perhaps with drool dribbling down mouths agape.
In Hawai'i, the word "sweetbread" is met with the same reaction, by both young and old alike. Only, when you say "sweetbread" to us, we do not think of thymus glands, but in fact, sweet. bread. Sweet. Bread.
Bread that is sweet.
Sweet Bread is the love child of brioche and challah, and a touch of magic found only on our islands. It's the best of both worlds, coupling the feather-light buttery dash of brioche with challah's eggy richness. Sweet Bread is quite a sight to see - a golden round, poofy and billowing with a sweet crumb that melts just a tad too easily on your mouth. Effortless.
In Torrance, California there's a place called King's Hawaiian Bakery. King's makes a product call "Sweet Bread." It is a decent product, but do not get that confused with the real sweet bread!!!
Ani's Sweet Bread - the original, and best of its kind, is made in Hawai'i and found only in Hawai'i. There are occasional imposters out there, but stick with the Ani's brand, and you'll be forever happy. Ani's makes a cinnamon version of their sweet bread, called "Cinnmon Sensation," but I would advise against that flavour for it is much too sweet and distracts from all the elements that makes the original so delicious. While the original and cinnamon come in round loaves, Ani's also makes a variety of other breads in traditional rectangular pans. I cannot vouch for these other flavours in a rainbow of apple, guava, pineapple-apricot, and coconut for I have yet to try them...but based solely on the post at hapa/hale's blog, I'm quite tempted!
You can find Ani's at local supermarkets, including Long's, but...
...we buy ours at the Iwilei Costco, along with fresh poke, and...
...all the Spam you could ever desire. Isn't Hawai'i great? ;)
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